Chapter 1018: Kill towards Shouchun!
At the foot of Sanfeng Mountain, the Fengwu Army and the Zhennan Army were fighting fiercely. The stalemate between the two sides turned the originally green mountains and clear waters into a bloody Shura field...

Just before a stick of incense had passed, General Xu Hu of the Zhennan Army learned that Cai Shaojie's troops had been completely wiped out, and that the 11th Division of the 4th Army of the Fengwu Army and the 5th Division of the 1st Army were approaching!

Xu Hu was greatly surprised by the news. He didn't know why the Fifth Division of the Fengwu Army, which was on the way to Anqing to provide support, suddenly appeared in front of him like a heavenly soldier!

Xu Hu did not have time to think about this problem and prepared to lead his troops to retreat. After all, according to the information he got from the scouts, the Fifth and Eleventh Divisions of the Fengwu Army had a total strength of more than 30,000 people!

The more than 30,000 Zhennan troops under his command had been attacking Sanfeng Mountain for several days, and their manpower and morale had suffered considerable damage!
In addition, due to the previous series of defeats, Xu Hu was quite wary of the Fengwu Army, so Xu Hu also wanted to avoid its edge, and then gather the scattered troops together before making plans!

However, the Fengwu Army came too fast. Xu Hu had only withdrawn half of his troops. When he was about to withdraw the other half, the vanguard of the Fengwu Army immediately rushed to the battlefield and tightly held the Zhennan Army which had not yet retreated...
The situation at that time made Xu Hu very uncomfortable. If only a few thousand people had not withdrawn, Xu Hu might have made up his mind to cut off his arms and wrists to survive!

But this is only half of the troops, and more than 10,000 people have not withdrawn. If so many people give up and watch them being surrounded and annihilated by the Fengwu Army, it will undoubtedly be a great defeat, and they will not be able to compete with the Fengwu Army on the Anqing battlefield!
But if we don't withdraw and choose to stay and fight the Fengwu Army head-on, then the possibility of winning this battle is unlikely!

Just when Xu Hu was in a dilemma and very confused, He Jingyun personally led a large army to the battlefield!
He Jingyun, who was determined to prove his ability once again, would naturally not sit idly by and watch the big fish Xu Hu get away. He directly wanted to encircle Xu Hu's 30,000-strong Zhennan Army from both wings and swallow them up in one bite like wrapping dumplings!
In this way, Xu Hu had no choice. Even if he wanted to cut off his arms and wrists to survive, he no longer had the opportunity. Now he could only be forced to lead his troops to fight!

Although Xu Hu was a little lacking in reaction and decision-making, Xu Zhaojie could rest assured to hand over the 50,000 main elite troops of the Zhennan Army to him. It was not entirely because Xu Hu was a retainer of the Xu family and was loyal to the Xu family, but also because Xu Hu was quite capable!
Although the situation was very unfavorable, facing the aggressive Fengwu Army, Xu Hu quickly organized resistance, blocked the first wave of Fengwu Army's charge, and commanded the Zhennan Army soldiers to engage in close combat with the Fengwu Army as much as possible to offset the Fengwu Army's advantage in firearms·····························
Seeing this, although He Jingyun, who was in charge of the battle, had a blank expression on his face, he still calmly commanded the two divisions of the Fengwu Army to outflank the Zhennan Army from both wings as much as possible and cut off their retreat.

However, He Jingyun felt disappointed and regretful. After the Fifth Division arrived in Anqing as planned, He Jingyun immediately set out to annihilate Cai Shaojie's troops who had underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly.

After leading his troops to annihilate Cai Shaojie's troops, He Jingyun was worried that Sanfeng Mountain would be captured by Xu Hu's troops, so he led his troops to rush to Sanfeng Mountain without stopping.

Therefore, although Xu Hu's troops suffered losses in the attack on Sanfeng Mountain, the two divisions led by He Jingyun also suffered considerable losses. Everyone was very tired after fighting continuously.

In addition, in order to travel as quickly as possible, He Jingyun left a large amount of baggage and artillery behind, so now the Fengwu Army does not have a strong artillery advantage like in the past!
In addition, although the Fifth Division has been transferred many times in the Fengwu Army, it is still the surrendered army of Youyan, and its combat effectiveness in the Fengwu Army is not very high.

He Jingyun noticed this problem when he was first transferred to the commander of the First Army. However, he was filled with resentment because he had left the Yunbing battlefield sadly, so he had no idea of ​​improving the combat effectiveness of the Fifth Division.

Later, when He Jingyun's morale gradually recovered and he began to prepare to do a good job as the commander of the First Army, he found that the Fifth Division had been controlled by Gu Shouting and was impenetrable. His words as the commander were not as powerful as Gu Shouting's in the Fifth Division!
He Jingyun originally planned to have a good talk with Gu Shouting about this, but he didn't expect that Gu Shouting would entrust him with the task and keep procrastinating He Jingyun, which made He Jingyun so angry that his liver ached. Just when He Jingyun was about to write a memorial to Ye Mingsheng to respond to the matter.

It happened that the Military Commission launched an anti-F operation, and Gu Shouting was caught in the act. Only then did Xu Zhaojie reach out to the Fifth Division.

After the Fifth Division dealt with more than a hundred people, He Jingyun barely managed to eliminate the remaining poison of Gu Shouting. Then, when He Jingyun was preparing to personally control and improve the combat effectiveness of the Fifth Division, there was an unusual movement in the Zhennan Army, so he had to pull out the Fifth Division and start fighting!
However, the only thing that comforted He Jingyun was that although the Fifth Division's combat effectiveness was average, it was still slightly better than the Eleventh Division of the Fourth Army, and it did not completely lose face for the First Army's ace main force!
At the beginning of the fight with the Zhennan Army, Xu Hu discovered that the Fengwu Army was not as strong as he had expected. Xu Hu was very happy about this and even had some other ideas·························
But as time went on, the Fengwu Army had the advantage in numbers and more powerful firearms, so the Zhennan Army gradually lost its strength and showed signs of defeat!
He Jingyun was very happy to see the defeat of the Zhennan Army. He immediately sent out the last troops in his hands, that is, the 500 elite cavalry directly under his command as the commander of the First Army!
Although this group of cavalrymen was small in number, with only 500 men, each of them was the elite among the cavalrymen. When such a fresh force appeared on the battlefield, they immediately charged into the Zhennan Army's formation, becoming the last straw that broke the camel's back!
Seeing this, Xu Hu was powerless to do anything. He could only arrange for his troops to stay behind to block the enemy and give the main force a chance to break out!
However, He Jingyun has been fighting on the battlefield for decades, so he is very clear about the principle of taking advantage of your weakness to kill you. He will definitely not let you go easily. He directly ordered the entire army to charge and hold on to the Zhennan Army tightly. He will never let the tiger go back to the mountain!
Although He Jingyun acted quickly, the gap in military strength between the two sides was not that big after all, and it was difficult for He Jingyun's troops to wipe out the Zhennan Army in one fell swoop.

Therefore, the battle lasted for another half an incense stick of time. The Zhennan Army finally tore a hole in the encirclement, and Xu Hu's remaining army of 5,000 to 6,000 people took advantage of the chaos to fight their way out...

Although the enemy was not completely wiped out, He Jingyun was still very satisfied with the outcome of this battle. Including the more than 1,000 stragglers who escaped later, a total of more than 8,000 Zhennan Army soldiers escaped, and the remaining 20,000 troops were either killed or surrendered!
It is no exaggeration to say that after this battle, the offensive and defensive situation of both sides in the Anqing battlefield has changed. Next, Xu Hu will definitely immediately recall the troops in Wuhe County and Xingshui to try to regroup, but even so, it will be difficult for him to do anything!
Looking at the soldiers who were celebrating their victory, a smug smile appeared on He Jingyun's lips, but soon he looked to the south!
At this time, the commander of the Fourth Army, Zhang Meng, came to report the good news to He Jingyun:

"Congratulations, Lord He. Our army has won a great victory in this battle. We have killed 7,000 enemy soldiers and captured 16,000 enemy soldiers. The enemy's offensive against Anqing has been completely thwarted by our army!"

He Jingyun had expected this result, so he just nodded slightly and said to Zhang Meng:
"General Zhang, you have worked hard!"

Facing He Jingyun's polite words, Zhang Meng also planned to say something polite, such as "It's all thanks to your good command, Sir He." However, before he could open his mouth, He Jingyun's voice appeared in his ears again.
“General Zhang, I want the local militia in Anqing to take over the city defense of Anqing and gather all the units of the 12th Division. What do you think··························"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Meng frowned slightly. He didn't expect He Jingyun to have such a big appetite!
Because it had to defend the various prefectures and counties within Anqing, the 12th Division under the Fourth Army was also divided into several forces and scattered in several prefectures and counties including Anqing City. This is why the 12th Division did not appear in this battle.

Now He Jingyun wants to withdraw them and let the militia to fill their vacancies, which means that He Jingyun wants to make a big move! And at the moment, there is only one big move that He Jingyun can make - to attack Shouchun, the old nest of the Zhennan Army!

Thinking of this, Zhang Meng was a little hesitant. After all, the Fengwu Army did not have many troops available now. Even if the 12th Division was withdrawn, there were only three divisions with a total of 50,000 troops. Shouchun was an important city in the world and the second largest city in the south after Lin'an!

Thinking of this, Zhang Meng said to He Jingyun tactfully:
"Master He, we don't have many troops available right now, and our brothers are exhausted. I think it would be safer to wait for the Second and Third Armies to come to our rescue!"

He Jingyun was obviously a little disappointed with Zhang Meng's answer, but he continued to speak calmly:

“It would be safer to wait until the Second and Third Armies arrive. But General Zhang, do you think you will still have a share by then?”

Zhang Meng was stunned when he heard this, while He Jingyun continued to encourage him:
"General Zhang, I am thinking about you. Even if I, He, rest on my laurels, I will definitely be a marquis in the future!"

"But General Zhang, can you do it? The Second and Third Armies won the Battle of Yunbing, captured Guanzhong and destroyed the Luoan court, and then defeated the Cumans and conquered Yongliang. All the credit has been taken away by them!"

"Now the only thing that has not been pacified is the South. Jiangnan, Sichuan and Shu are all fence-sitters. When the Zhennan Army defeats our army and invades Shouchun, they will probably surrender. General Zhang has left you with few opportunities to make achievements and serve the Marshal!"

"If we wait until the second and third armies arrive before attacking Huainan, then when the new dynasty is established and everyone is given official titles, General Zhang, are you willing to just be an earl? Do you want all your descendants to be earls like you?"

Before He Jingyun's words fell completely, Zhang Meng's eyes immediately flickered. It was obvious that He Jingyun's words hit the nail on the head!
After another moment of silence, Zhang Meng, who had been somewhat persuaded by He Jingyun, gritted his teeth and asked He Jingyun:

"Master He, what are your plans?"

He Jingyun, knowing that Zhang Meng had been persuaded by him, smiled slightly and said in a deep voice:
“As Sun Tzu said in the Art of War, ‘the army is established by deception, moves by advantage, and changes by division and harmony. Therefore it is swift as the wind, slow as the forest, invasive as fire, still as a mountain, unpredictable as the shadow, and powerful as thunder…”

"Xu Hu must want to gather troops and regroup now. We cannot deny him the opportunity to gather troops from Xingshui and Wuhe counties. We must hold on to them and defeat them one by one!"

"In order to win the Battle of Anqing, the enemy has almost emptied out the troops around Shouchun, and their belly is very empty. So as long as our army seizes the opportunity to completely annihilate Xu Hu's troops, they can march forward in Huainan like a hot knife through butter and kill all the way to Shouchun city!"

"In order to support the war, Xu Zhaojie has been levying heavy taxes in Huainan these years, turning a prosperous place into a place where people can't make a living. The people of Huainan are also suffering. I believe that as long as our army arrives, the people of Huainan will be able to eat and drink to welcome the royal army!"

"Although Shouchun's city walls are strong, the people inside the walls may not be on Xu Zhaojie's side!"

He Jingyun's last words were very powerful, and it was obvious that he was very confident in his plan. However, Zhang Meng had one last question at this time.

"Master He, what if Xu Zhaojie leads his troops to help? He still has tens of thousands of troops in Jingchu?"

He Jingyun smiled and said:
"General Zhang's soldiers are more about quality than quantity. He Jingyun's troops in Jingchu are just a mob!"

“If they defend the city, they can still protect themselves, but if they dare to leave the city, I believe that General Ma Zhongjun and the First Division will not give up this good opportunity to make achievements...”

(End of this chapter)